Seacom's executive director, Brian Herlihy, has been chosen as one of the World Economic Forum's (WEF's) 192 Young Global Leaders for 2012.
The annual honour recognises up to 200 young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to “contribute to shaping the future of the world”.
Seacom says Herlihy, founder of the submarine fibre-optic cable system, earned the prestigious award due to his role in “helping to bring high-speed Internet access to more of Africa's people through the Seacom high-capacity submarine cable system”.
CEO of the company at launch, Herlihy now focuses on strategic projects for Seacom. He says he is “honoured” that the WEF has recognised the company's vision of “an interconnected African experience, characterised by abundant local content, minimal latency and fast download and streaming speeds”, and looks forward to playing a role in making the Internet more accessible to more people in Africa in years to come.
Connected continent
Seacom has laid over 17 000km of undersea fibre-optic cable, connecting Africa to the rest of the world via India and Europe. Since its launch in July 2009, the company has sold wholesale international bandwidth on an open-access basis to network operators in southern and eastern Africa.
Incumbent Seacom CEO Mark Simpson says Herlihy's work has already made an impact on African societies and economies. “[We] congratulate Brian on this well-deserved achievement. This WEF honour is a fitting tribute to Brian's vision for a more connected Africa.”
As one of the 2012 honourees, Herlihy will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders community that currently comprises 713 individuals. The Young Global Leaders convene at an Annual Summit, to be held this year in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, from 14 to 18 April.
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